Step 1: Preparing Yourself—Science
Whether you are a gardener or have had little experience growing
plants, or whether you are a pet lover or feel uncomfortable around
bugs and other animals, you can become a naturalist with your children.
This section will provide you with basic experiences and understand-
ings that prepare you for helping children explore important science
ideas about the world of living things. All you need is an outdoor area,
a hand lens, a notebook and pencil, and a willingness to explore and
wonder. In this step, you will also learn about some of the ways
young children often think about these science ideas. Understanding
their point of view can help you decide what experiences to provide
or what to focus their attention on or the questions and responses
that might further challenge their thinking.
Teaching Plan
Take a “naturalist” walk in a park, your neighborhood, or your back-
yard. On your walk, take a hand lens, a clipboard with some paper,
and a field guide for your local area, if you have one. What do you
see? What is living and what is not? It seems obvious to adults, but
the understanding of what makes something alive is a basic concept
of life science.
All things on earth are either livingor nonliving. All living things
share certain characteristics that become more evident as we acquire
experience with the natural world. Interesting misunderstandings
about this concept abound. A leaf that falls from a tree was alive and
is now dead. Think about a category of things that were alive to dis-
tinguish them from things, such as a stone, that were never alive. As
you explore your environment, make some lists and categories of what
you see. What is alive? What was once alive? What was never alive?
Stop and look closely at the plants. Turn over a stone, log, or pile
of leaves and see what you find. Pick out a small area where there are
Teacher note: Monday
I took a walk around my neigh-
borhood to see what living things I
could find. I found trees (maple,
oak, beech, and three that I
couldn’t identify). I also saw many
weeds (dandelions, crabgrass,
and lots of others that I couldn’t
identify—most were grasslike).
Children ages three through five are
beginning to construct their own crite-
ria for what makes something living or
nonliving. For instance, if they believe
that movement is a characteristic of
living things, many young children will
insist that the wind or a mechanical
toy is living. The greater the variety of
living things they encounter and the
more guidance they have in thinking
about what makes things living, the
more likely they are to add new crite-
ria, such as growth, development, and
reproduction, as well as the need for
food and respiration.
getting ready